Verderevsky married Elena Mikhailovna Plen (died 1944) and they had one son, Pavel Dmitrievich (1896-1985), an engineer, who lived in exile in France and is buried next to his father.

He rejoined the active navy in 1904 on the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War and commanded a destroyer in the Black Sea Fleet.

At the start of World War I he was given a posting ashore coordinating the work on range-finding equipment in St Petersburg-based factories.

In 1916 he was made commander of the submarine division of the Baltic Fleet based at Reval and promoted to rear admiral.

Many military leaders had a negative attitude to the activities of Verderevsky and the War Minister of the Provisional Government of General A. I. Verkhovskii.

Their point of view was expressed by General Anton Denikin, who said that the Minister of Marine had utopian initiatives: "Verderevsky preached that "discipline must be voluntary.

And on the basis of a common love of country to encourage it voluntarily to assume all the burdens of military discipline.